For two decades, the organization was known as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. That changed this summer when it rebranded as the Hawaiian Council. Its tag line: Hawaiians advancing Hawaiʻi.
Its annual convention was on Hawaiʻi Island last year, but the year before it was in Las Vegas, Nevada — the first time it was held on the continent. This year, the four-day conference will be held north of Seattle from Oct. 6 to 9.
Hawaiian Council CEO Kūhiō Lewis spoke to HPR about the thinking behind the name change and why the council chose Washington state for the 2025 Native Hawaiian Convention.
"This is our 24th annual convention," Lewis said. "It's a chance every year for us to get together, not just Hawaiians — we've opened our doors to everyone. It's a chance for us to talk about Hawaiʻi, where we are now, where we want to go as a collective. It's a chance to celebrate our culture, our heritage, to have some serious discussions about policies that are going on."
This story aired on The Conversation on Sept. 30, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
